


The Price To Pay

by slightlybatty



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, just mentions of specific curses and mentions of blood and viscera, the violence isnt that graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 01:31:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6308980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlybatty/pseuds/slightlybatty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Regulus earns his Dark Mark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Price To Pay

He was shaking, he was shaking, Oh God, _stop shaking,_ I can't do this, why did I say yes in the first place, please, _please-_

  
The Shepherd, he took care of them, The Accepting, gave them a home when no one else would, The Dark Lord, taught them the true meaning of family, he was kind to them, he cared for them, he just wanted them to be the best- Regulus would do anything to please him, should have known he wasn't joking, really didn't want to kill an innocent wizard, really, really didn't want to kill an innocent squib, really, really, _really_ didn't want to torture the kid at the end of his wand until he died, why this, please, My Lord, _why-_

The Dark Lord's high voice rang out. Do your worse, Regulus Black. Earn your Mark, prove your worth. _The worst,_ why did he have to say _that,_ why couldn't it have just been a simple murder, not that I could have done that, the way I'm shaking, still shaking, why the shaking, _stop shaking, stop, stop, stop-_

He nearly lost his wand when the boy whimpered.

SiriusSiriusSiriusSirius-

MotherStopPlease _MotherPlease-_

He started with a small curse, a simple thing, a painful thing.

The boy screamed, loud, long, awful, echoing. It was trapped in his head, trapped, bouncing, it sounded too much like him, it was too much, _it was all too much-_

The Dark Lord frowned.

Deeper, Darker, Blacker, he searched, searched and searched his mind for something truly Dark, something truly Black. He cast it, without undoing the first, without letting the boy rest. The boy screamed louder. He sobbed for it to stop.

_Sirius-_

He lifted them both, just for a second, a small shred of hope. He set them back, quickly, harshly, cruelly.

The boy screamed with renewed vigor.

The Dark Lord was not frowning.

Be creative, be _interesting,_ you have to be _better,_ gain favor, maybe then it will stop, maybe he will be safe, maybe-

He stopped the curses entirely.

Is it- done? the boy choked. Am I safe?

Regulus fought back tears. Desperately, he thought, I'm sorry.

Crucio, he whispered.

The Dark Lord was smiling, oh God, he was _smiling-_

Regulus let the boy continue, almost hoarse, still he screamed, on and on and on. Regulus lifted the unforgivable.

Sectumsempra, he mouthed.

The boy screamed, the boy cried, the boy choked on his own blood. The boy's insides were outside, staining the boy's legs, staining the ground, staining Regulus's very soul, his first murder, his first victim, oh _God, only his first-_

 

The Dark Lord smiled. The Dark Lord looked impressed. Well done, Regulus Black. Your production was- _exceptional._

HereItComesHereItComes _HereItComes-_

Proceed forth, Mister Black. Receive your Mark.

_OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod-_

The Dark Lord touched Regulus's arm with his wand. It burned, burned, burned, like the sunburn when he was nine, like the fire when he took too long in the floo, like the curse his mother used when he cried over his brother, burned, burned, _burned._

The burning stopped. The clapping stopped.

The Dark Lord left.

The boy pressed himself into Regulus's mind, made himself into Sirius, made his viscera trail, made Regulus look, Regulus _why,_ Regulus- Reg, I thought- you _loved_ me, Reg, I thought we were in this _together,_ Reg, you and me, Reg, _just us,_ Regulus, why did you torture me, why did you _kill_ me, Regulus, why, why, why, why, _why-_

Regulus grabbed his portkey.

**Author's Note:**

> My apologies for the atrocious run on sentences. The purpose was to share Regulus's experience with the reader, and it's proper to say something like "Regulus was anxious and scared, his thoughts racing" but I don't feel that gets it across as well as reading his thoughts, actually feeling how anxious he is, how utterly terrified he is to do the task and earn his Mark.  
> I also wanted to show, perhaps, why so many Slytherins joined the Dark Lord. It wasn't so much as a Slytherin thing to do, but he accepted them, embraced them. During those years, I feel that the Slytherins learned the true meaning of House Unity, and when the Dark Lord went to them, McGonegall's words were more powerful than she knew. Your house is like your family, she said, and here he was, a successful Slytherin, a happy Slytherin, asking them if they wanted to come and join him. Regulus was eager, and he knew somewhat what it would be like, but reality hit him like a freight train.


End file.
